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Hutchinson install Anechoic chamber

Hutchinson believes it is the only telecoms rigging company in the UK to install an anechoic chamber.

The installation of the chamber is believed to be a first for the industry and is to be used for passive intermodulation testing of antennas prior to deployment.

The company, based on Everite Road, is the leading telecoms structure manufacturer in the country.

The anechoic chamber, lined with RF absorber, is 4m high, 3m long and 2.5m wide.

It allows antennas to be tested for interference in a vertical position before being installed into the structure, in order to guarantee the equipment is working before it leaves the factory.

Rigging manager Anton Pearsall, who has worked on street structures at Hutchinson for 15 years, said: “The big reason to get this chamber is quality control. We are continually looking for ways to improve the quality of our products.

“Although we have another smaller PIM testing chamber, having this large one has made a real difference. We’ve never tested vertically before, but now we’re putting an antenna into the structure that we know works.”

The company, which has 20 people in its rigging department, is investing continually in new equipment and facilities. Last year it opened a new £5m factory for its wind turbine towers, and has a new paint booth and grit blasting booth. It also has a laser machine which supplies the whole company with steel profiles, and can precision cut a range of materials from 1mm to 20mm thick.

Hutchinson is expecting its busiest year ever for telecoms, and is busy rolling out its latest street works structure designs for 4G networks across Britain. The company has been manufacturing telecoms masts for over 15 years, and says it is producing the most technically advanced structures ever.